Implantation of an implantable penile prosthesis (IPP) is a common surgical procedure for treating erectile dysfunction and other penile ailments. An IPP comprises an inflatable cylinder connected by a pump to a separate reservoir for holding the quantity of fill liquid via kink resistant tubing. This version of the IPP is available under the trade name AMBICOR from American Medical Systems of Minnetonka, Minn. Typically, the entire IPP is implanted into the patient's body with the inflatable cylinder being placed in the corpus cavernosum and the pump being placed within the scrotum. The reservoir can also be placed within the scrotum or placed elsewhere within the pelvic region. To operate the IPP, the pump is manually actuated to transfer fill liquid from the integrated or implanted reservoir into the inflatable cylinder to fill and pressurize the inflatable cylinder.
A typical pump system for an IPP comprises a pump bulb that can be compressed to draw fluid from a reservoir and push the inflation fluid into the inflatable cylinder. Generally, the pump is compressed and released to draw fluid from the reservoir into the pump. The pump is compressed again to force fluid from the pump into the inflatable cylinder. Two selective poppet valves are positioned along the flow path between reservoir and inflatable cylinder to control the direction of the fluid flow through the pump system.
Typically, the IPP and the pump system are provided to the medical personnel without any working fluid within the system. Prior to implantation, each component of the IPP is filled or nearly filed with the working fluid by the medical personnel. The medical personnel also often test the operation of the IPP to insure that the all the components of the IPP are functioning properly prior to implantation. However, if too much air remains in the IPP when the pump system is operated by the medical personnel or the patient, the air within the system can cause pump to lock up. Specifically, the pump bulb can remain compressed after being actuated rather than re-expanding to draw additional fluid into the pump bulb.
Another drawback of the pump system is that the poppet valves can become misaligned during filling and operation of the IPP and pump system. If the poppet becomes misaligned, uncontrolled leakage can occur allowing fluid to travel through the fluid pathway. Similarly, the misaligned poppet can become stuck preventing any operation of the poppet.
As such, there is a need for a pump system for an IPP that can be operated by medical personnel with a reduced risk of damage or malfunction during test operation.